


Bed of Roses

by LeeLooDallasMultiPass



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angst, Dom/sub Undertones, First Kiss, First Time, Getting Together, M/M, Schmoop, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-22
Updated: 2013-02-22
Packaged: 2017-12-03 07:26:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/695744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeLooDallasMultiPass/pseuds/LeeLooDallasMultiPass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With a little help from an unexpected source, Danny comes up with a way to finally make his move.<br/>Or, Danny woos Steve with anonymous gifts for Valentine's Day.</p>
<p>(Yes, I know it's late!)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bed of Roses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [missmeagan666](https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmeagan666/gifts).



> Missmeagan requested this story, oh, about a century ago! Sorry it's taken so long, but hopefully it lives up to expectations.
> 
> Slight AU where Danny and Rachel are still on good terms and Cath is not around, since the idea was conceived before the end of Season 2.

 

“You know I just want you to be happy.”

Danny looked up at his ex-wife and huffed in frustration.  “I know, Rache, but—”

“No buts!”  Rachel reached across the table and covered Danny’s hand with her own, as if to soften the harshness of her words.  “I’m tired of watching you pining over him and not doing anything about it.”

Danny pulled back, indignant.  “I’m not pining!”

“Yes, you are!  But so is he.”  She sighed at his disbelieving expression.  “Danny, the whole island can see how you two feel about each other.  You’re not fooling anyone!”

“We’re not trying to fool people!  We’re partners, co-workers.  Friends, and that’s all.”  The look he gave her now was pained and a little lost.  “It’s all we _can_ be.”

“No, Daniel.  I don’t accept that, and you shouldn’t either.  It may technically be against regulations for the two of you to date, but what would it really change?  You spend all your time together as it is.  As long as you don’t start shagging in the middle of the office or at crime scenes, no one would notice any difference.”

“Hey!” Danny protested.  “That is absolutely uncalled for!  I’m a professional!  I would never—!”

“Yes, yes, I know.  That was rather my point.”  She cut off his impending rant, bringing the conversation back on track.  “Anyway, do you really think the Governor would sack either of you over the pair of you being together?  Imagine the negative press from the discrimination lawsuit!  Firing one of his top employees for being in a homosexual relationship?  Hardly good for his public image!”

Eyebrows shooting up, a grin tugged at Danny’s lips.  “You really have a ruthless streak, don’t you?”

“As you well know.”  She nodded slightly with a faint smile of her own.  “But I doubt such drastic measures will be necessary.  Sometimes, Danny, it’s worth breaking the rules to get what you want.  Trust me on this.”

“Like rear-ending a police cruiser?” he smirked.

Rachel laughed softly.  “Exactly!”

After a moment, Danny grew serious again.  “I don’t know, Rachel.  What would I say?  We’ve been in this holding pattern for so long.  I have no idea how I would make the first move.”

“Fortunately for you,” she leaned in conspiratorially, “I have a plan!”

 

** February 1st **

 

Steve strode into Five-0 headquarters on Friday morning, his mind on the upcoming budget meeting with the Governor.  Distracted, he went straight to his office to collect the paperwork he needed.  Rounding his desk, he stopped short at the sight of a CD case propped up in his chair.

He picked up the disc, bemused by the big red heart on the front with the words “Valentine’s Mix” printed across it in a flowing, elegant font.  Turning it over, he read the list of song titles curiously.  He quirked an eyebrow at the first track, Sinatra’s “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”, huffed at the Bon Jovi buried in the middle, and snorted outright when he got to “Sexy Eyes” at the end.  It had to be some sort of gag, and the culprit was obvious.

“Hey, Danny!” he called out, flipping back to the front cover and studying the colourful image as he headed for his partner’s office.  “What’s this?  You trying to tell me some…?”  His voice drifted off as he reached Danny’s doorway and looked up to find no sign of the other man.  He spun on his heel, looking around in confusion.

“Morning, boss.”  Kono poked her head out of her office.  “What’s up?”

“Have you seen Danny?”

“No, he’s not in yet.”

Steve frowned, looking down at the case in his hand and back up at Kono.  “Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.  I was the first one here.  Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing, I just….”  He glanced at the big red heart and shook his head dismissively.  “Nothing.”

Returning to his desk, he opened a drawer and snatched up the files he needed for his meeting, dropping the CD in their place and forgetting about it as he focused on the day ahead.

 

** February 2nd **

 

Steve started Saturday with his usual morning swim, a few household chores, and a quick shopping trip to pick up some groceries.  Danny would be coming by later with Grace and the three of them were going to hang out on his beach and have a barbecue.  When he got back from the store, he set about preparing for their visit.

A while later, a knock at the front door brought Steve out of the kitchen, where he’d been marinating the steaks for that evening’s dinner.  He glanced at his watch, puzzled.  It was too early for it to be Danny and Grace; besides, Danny never knocked.  As he opened the door, he was surprised to see a young man holding a long white box.

“Hey.  You Steve?”

Steve eyed the package with mild suspicion.  “Yeah….”

“Then these are for you.  Happy Valentine’s Day!”  He held out the box with a smile.

“Valentine’s Day?  That’s not for nearly two weeks.”  He took the cardboard container, handling it as if it might explode.

The delivery boy laughed.  “It’s flowers, brah, not a bomb!  Someone obviously wanted to get their claim in early.”

“What claim?  Who’re they from?”

“No clue.  Not my job to keep track.”  He headed down the front steps and back to his delivery van, calling back over his shoulder.  “If there’s a card, it’ll be in the box!”

Closing the door behind him, Steve went back into the kitchen and placed the box on the table.  Carefully lifting off the lid, he stared at the dozen long-stemmed red roses, nestled in their bed of greenery and baby’s breath.  He gently fished around but couldn’t find a card.

Perplexed, he searched the cupboards until he found a vase.  Who would send him roses?  And why do it anonymously?  It didn’t make sense.  With a shrug, he began trimming off the lower leaves and cutting the stems before placing the flowers in the vase.

 

***

 

A couple of hours later, Danny and Grace arrived, walking straight in without knocking, as expected, and making themselves right at home.  Steve came into the living room to greet them, just in time to see Grace begin pulling things out of her pink backpack.  Moving to stand beside Danny, he smiled as he watched her.

First, she arranged a small pile of DVDs on the coffee table, ready for after-dinner viewing.  Then she picked out a collection of beach toys and went to place them by the back door.  As she turned to walk back into the living room, she stopped suddenly, gaping in the direction of the dining room table.

“Wow!  Those are beautiful!”

With a quick glance at Steve, Danny went to see what had so enamoured his daughter.  Seeing the roses artfully displayed in the center of the table, he turned to Steve with a huge grin.

“Nice arrangement, babe.  You do that yourself?”

Steve squinted at Danny, unsure if he was being mocked or honestly praised.  He opened his mouth but, before he could decide on an appropriate response, Grace spoke.

“That means somebody loves you, Uncle Steve!”

“What’s that, Gracie?” he asked, looking down at her in surprise.

“Your roses.  Red ones mean true love.”  She tilted her head, considering the flowers, and then gazed up at Steve with curious brown eyes.  “Who loves you, Uncle Steve?”

“Uh… hey, you know what?”  He clapped his hands and rubbed them together.  “Why don’t you go put your bathing suit on?  We can go swimming and you can show Danno how long you can hold your breath underwater!”

“Okay!”  Grace ran for the stairs, snatching up her bag along the way.

Danny watched her vanish upstairs.  “She’s right you know.”

“What?”

He turned and looked Steve in the eye.  “Red roses mean someone loves you.”

“Really?  So, what’s the point of saying _‘I love you’_ with flowers, and then not including a card to identify yourself?”

“What, you never heard of a secret valentine?”  Danny grinned.  “It’s supposed to lend an air of mystery, babe.”

Staring into Danny’s shining blue eyes, Steve only had a second to wonder if he was misreading the situation.  In a flurry of sound and motion, Grace barrelled between them, grabbing their hands and dragging them outside with her, effectively ending the conversation and commanding their full attention for the rest of the day.

 

***

 

After Grace was tucked in for the night, fast asleep in her bed at Danny’s apartment, he picked up his cell phone and dialled Rachel’s number.

“Danny?  Is something wrong?  Is Grace alright?”

“Grace is fine.”  He winced at the concern in her voice.  “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to worry you by calling so late.”

There was a momentary pause on the other end of the line.  “Then are you alright?”

“Yeah.  Yeah, I’m good.  Better than good, actually,” he laughed quietly.  “Steve got the roses and he wasn’t freaked out at all.  In fact, he arranged them like a pro; crystal vase and everything.  And when we were talking about their meaning, we kind of, uh… had a moment, I think.  We might actually be on the same page, here.”

“I’m glad, Danny.”

“I mean, he didn’t mention the CD or anything, but I had just explained the notion of secret valentines, so that makes sense.  Anyway, I was just calling to say thanks for everything.  I really think it’s going to work.”

“I’m happy to help.  It was my idea, after all.  I’m off to bed, now.  I have an early morning ahead of me, don’t I?  Goodnight, Danny.”

“Goodnight, Rache.”

 

** February 3rd **

 

The next morning, Steve dressed to go for a run, hoping the exercise would help him to clear his head.  After Danny and Grace had left the night before, he’d had trouble getting to sleep, finding himself replaying his earlier conversation with his partner.

Had Danny been trying to suggest that he’d been the one to send Steve the roses?  The red roses, and all that that implied?  They’d been dancing around this thing between them for such a long time; he hardly dared believe that Danny would suddenly do something so… overt.  Even if it was in an oddly covert manner.  He thought about the CD he’d found on his office chair.  The song choices had certainly seemed to indicate that Danny had been responsible, despite his absence at the time.

Trying not to overthink it, Steve concentrated on his planned running route as he laced up his shoes and went downstairs.  Heading out, he caught himself in the front doorway to avoid tripping over a package sitting in the center of his doormat.  Picking up the delicate-looking gift bag, he carried it into the living room and sat down on the couch.  Another present from Danny?

Noting the lack of card or gift tag, he turned it around to study it from all angles.  He considered the tasteful wrapping – soft, pastel colours, immaculate tufts of tissue paper, graceful swirls of spiralling ribbon.  Definitely a feminine touch here.  Hardly the work of Danny’s goofy thumbs.  He smiled at the mental image.

Maybe Grace had helped with this one.  He began untying the ribbon and reached in to pull out the contents.  Finding the first solid item, he unrolled the paper to reveal a bottle of floral bubble bath.  That certainly seemed like something a little girl would choose.  He opened the second bundle and found scented candles.  He sniffed cautiously.  Hibiscus, like the bubbles.  Unwrapping the final package, his fingers faltered at the sight of a bottle of massage oil.

Huh.  He was pretty sure that Danny wouldn’t have let his daughter wrap something like _that_ , especially not when – he peered at the label and confirmed his suspicions – it said _‘edible’_ , right there in bold print!

He put the bottle down on the coffee table beside the other items and stared at them in consternation.  Had he been wrong?  Were the gifts not from Danny at all?  Had his partner merely been making a friendly observation about the nature of anonymous valentines?  But if it wasn’t Danny, who was it?  He’d been so sure….

With a growl of frustration, he left the house, hoping that the rhythm of his breathing and the pounding of his feet against pavement would drive the maddening thoughts away for a while.

 

** February 4th to 7th **

 

Monday morning came much earlier than expected.  Steve was woken from a sound sleep by the ringing of his cell phone.  They’d caught a case.  A particularly long and gruelling one.  Over the next four days, the team barely had a chance to eat and sleep, let alone think of anything other than the criminals they had to track and take down.  At some point each day, Steve had made it into his office to discover a new surprise on his chair but had spent no more time on each of them than it took to sweep them into a drawer, out of sight.

By the time Thursday evening rolled around, he was filthy, exhausted, and extremely irritable.  Sprawling in his seat, he eyed his drawer with a twinge of curiosity.  With a quick glance around to make sure his co-workers were all gone, he opened the drawer and scooped the week’s gifts into his lap.

The first item was a Pocket Kama Sutra.  He flipped randomly through the pages, mentally checking off several positions he’d tried in the past.  As he skimmed through the pictures, it occurred to him that the book was mostly geared towards heterosexual couples.  So, it had probably been left for him by a woman, not Danny after all.  The idea did not improve his mood any and he tossed the book back into the drawer.

“Hey, SuperSEAL.  Wanna grab a bite?”

“Shit, Danny!”  Steve jerked upright, automatically lurching closer to the desk to hide his lap from view.  “Don’t you ever knock?  And no, I don’t _‘wanna grab a bite’_!  All I want is a shower and sleep!”

“Testy, testy!”  Danny eyed him appraisingly from the doorway.  “You, my friend, need a massage.”

Steve inhaled sharply, his mind leaping back to that bottle of hibiscus-scented oil.  “What?”

“A massage.  You know, one of those things normal people get to help them relax when they’re all tense and jumpy?  Like you are right now?  Oh, wait, I forgot, Mr. Macho Military-man.  You?  Your favourite form of stress-relief probably involves heavy artillery and the generous application of plastic explosives.”  He mimed a giant mushroom cloud while making accompanying rumbling noises.

“Bite me, Danno!  Go home.”

“See?”  Danny smirked, turning to leave.  “Testy!”

He sighed as he watched Danny’s perfect ass walk away and out the door.  Maybe it was a good thing he was being wooed by some unknown female.  Maybe, just maybe, it would get his mind off his inappropriate and completely unreciprocated thoughts about his irritating partner.

He glanced down and selected the next item in his lap: a small box featuring the name “Roll Play”.  He flicked it open and tipped the contents into his hand.  A pair of bright blue sex dice rolled across his palm, stopping with the words _‘suck’_ and _‘nipples’_ staring up at him.  As tired as he was, he still felt a stirring in his cargoes as he couldn’t help but picture Danny on the receiving end of that command.  With a mental shake, he pushed the image away.  Very deliberately, he tried replacing it with a more feminine one but couldn’t make it stick.

Dropping the dice on top of the book, he turned his attention to the previous day’s offering.  The packaging announced it as a _‘Sweet Sensations Gift Set’_.  A clear plastic window displayed a dark red vibrator, matching condoms, and cherry-flavoured lube.  Oh yeah, he could work with that.  He imagined a warm, wet tongue licking that lube off of his skin; swollen red lips stretching around his rock-hard cock; a blond head bobbing in his lap; blue eyes locked with his own….

“Dammit!”

He took a deep, calming breath.  Obviously it wasn’t going to be easy getting Danny out of his head.  Especially not when he was too tired to control his own thoughts.

Adding the gift set to the growing collection, he plucked the final item from where it lay across his knees.  He ran his fingers over the long purple feather for only a second, quickly placing it on top of the pile and closing the drawer.  Now was definitely not the time to think about how he wanted to use that.  Not until he had a better handle on his self-control.

No, now it was time to go home and catch up on three nights of missed sleep.

 

** February 8th **

 

After the hard week they’d all been through, Steve would’ve liked to have let the team have a well-deserved day off.  Unfortunately for all of them, an anonymous tipster had other ideas, advising them of an impending heist.  By the time Steve reached headquarters, Chin had tracked the call and identified their informant, while Kono checked into the veracity of his warning.

Standing in his office, Steve knew he should be heading for the car and on his way to find the man, but he just couldn’t make his feet move.  He stared at that morning’s present, a can of whipped cream in one hand, a jar of chocolate body paint in the other, and found himself completely robbed of all logical thought for a minute.

“Hey, Mr. My-Body-Is-A-Temple, you planning on making a banana split or something?”

“What?  No!”  Steve tossed the containers into the drawer and slammed it shut, hurrying around his desk and past his partner.  “Come on, we’ve got a witness to interview.”  He practically ran for the door, not noticing the smirk on Danny’s face as he followed him out of the building.

 

***

 

When Steve and Danny returned to the office, they were greeted by the sight of Rachel in friendly conversation with Chin and Kono.

“Oh, hey.  Rachel.  We were going to do lunch, weren’t we?  And talk about that thing.  That thing at Gracie’s school.  Let me just, uh….”  Danny patted his pockets, then blinked up at Steve and held out his hand.  “I’m gonna need my keys.”

“That’s all right, Danny.  Why doesn’t Steve come with us?  He can drive.”

“Are you sure?”  Steve looked from Rachel to Danny and back.  “I don’t want to intrude.”

“No—!”

“Of course.  You wouldn’t be intruding at all.”  With a quelling glare at Danny, she took Steve’s arm and walked with him through the double doors.  “We can eat at the club.  It’ll be my treat.”

Danny stared after them for a few seconds before following in their wake, muttering, “I’m going to end up sitting in my own backseat again, aren’t I?”

 

** February 9th **

 

There hadn’t been anything on Steve’s doorstep before he went for his morning swim, or after he’d finished.  Or any of the two or three (or five) times that he’d checked after that.  He’d finally gotten tired of lunging for the door at every tiny noise and decided to go for a run.

As Steve approached his house at the end of a five mile circuit, he spotted the Camaro sitting in the driveway.  He tried not to think about why that put such a big grin on his face as he hurried inside.

A quick scan told him the living room was empty, so he started towards the kitchen.

“Danny?” he called, “You in he—?”  He stopped at the sight of Danny sitting at his dining room table, staring at a small package as if he could will it into revealing its contents.

“Hey, Steve.”  Danny glanced up briefly before focusing on the box again, pointing at it unnecessarily.  “This, uh… this was sitting on your front step when I got here.”  He contemplated the package a moment longer, spinning it on the polished wood.  “Plain brown wrapper, huh?  What is it… porn?”

“Very funny.”  Steve snatched the box up before his partner took it upon himself to open it for him.  “What are you doing here?  Did we have plans or something?”

Danny looked at him like he was even crazier than usual.  “Plans?  Since when did we need plans to hang out on the weekend and watch a game?”

“No, right, we don’t.  I just wondered if I’d forgotten—.  Never mind, forget it.  You want a beer?”

Danny got up and followed him towards the kitchen.  “You gonna open that?”

“No!  No, it’s just a part for the Marquis.  I’ll just, uh, go put it away.”  He changed direction and dashed up the stairs, Danny’s mocking voice following him.

“Up there, you’re gonna put it?  Strange place for car parts, babe!”

In his bedroom, Steve placed the gift on the dresser and started to walk away.  He hesitated at the door, curiosity getting the better of him.  He listened carefully for a moment, the sound of clinking glass carrying up from the kitchen.  Danny was busy getting the beer.  He could take a minute to open his present, right?

Grabbing the package, he quickly ripped off the paper and blinked in surprise.  The picture on the box showed a pair of black, fuzzy handcuffs.  His eyes flicked up to the slats in his headboard, down to the cuffs, and back up again.  He instantly envisioned that black fur encircling a small but strong pair of wrists, his naked partner laid out before him.  Or wait, how about his own wrists, shackled to the bed while Danny crawled up his naked body….

“Yo, Steven!  You get lost up there, or what?”

Steve jumped and yelled back, “I’m coming!”  He groaned and adjusted his shorts.  Poor choice of words!

Frustrated, he tossed the box back on the dresser.  Now he had to go downstairs and spend the rest of the day pretending he hadn’t just been thinking about having sex with the man sitting next to him.

Okay, he was a trained SEAL, with years of experience in covert ops.  He could do this!  Taking a deep breath and blowing it out slowly, he went to join Danny on the couch.

 

***

 

As Danny drove home later that night, he mentally reviewed the day’s events and frowned.  Steve’s behaviour had been off, right from the start.

First, there was that odd comment about the Marquis; making up an excuse about car parts, like he had to hide the truth.  Was that just his weird way of trying to play along with the whole ‘secret valentine’ thing, or did he really not know it was Danny?

And then, for the rest of the day, every time he and Danny got too close or accidentally touched, he’d jumped back like nervous virgin.  Was that the issue?  Was Steve nervous about starting a sexual relationship with him?  Were the gifts getting too kinky?  He’d never taken Steve for the vanilla type but, who knew?  Maybe he wasn’t as experienced as Danny had always assumed.

Then again, maybe Steve had just been avoiding physical contact because he didn’t trust himself not to jump his partner right then and there.  Danny grinned at that.  That was certainly his favourite option.  Because, if that were true, when they finally did get together, it was bound to be explosive!

 

** February 10th **

 

Water streamed off Steve’s body as he waded in from his morning swim and made his way up the beach.  As he picked up his towel from the old wooden chair, he spotted the present hidden beneath it.  He instinctively looked around the property for signs of an intruder, but there was no one in sight.

Even though he knew the culprit had to be long gone, he’d still been hoping to catch a glimpse.  Access to Five-0 headquarters and knowledge of his home address certainly narrowed the suspect pool, but it still left pretty much all of HPD and the Governor’s staff, and possibly a few others.  So, he still had no clue who it could be, and he never liked not having all the answers.

Logically, he knew that whoever it was probably wouldn’t reveal her identity before Valentine’s Day, and he was trying not to be impatient.  It was only four days away, after all.  But he’d never been too good at waiting, as Danny frequently pointed out, and the anticipation was starting to get to him.

The black satin blindfold that he pulled out of the wrapped box did nothing to alleviate that building frustration.  It just made him all the more eager to meet the person who seemed so in tune with his own personal kinks.  Kinks that no one on the island could possibly know about.  Not even Danny, who knew him better than anyone here, was privy to that information.  And the notion that someone out there, someone who was actively pursuing him, seemed to be on the exact same sexual wavelength as he was?  Well, that was intriguing, to say the least.

 

** February 11th **

 

On Monday morning, Danny snuck into Steve’s office extra early, and then killed time in a local coffee shop until he felt he’d given Steve long enough to arrive and find that day’s gift.  As he parked the Camaro outside headquarters, he saw no sign of Chin or Kono yet, but noted Steve’s truck in its usual spot.

When Danny reached the double glass doors to the office, he stopped dead in his tracks without opening them.  Through the windows, he could see Steve, who had clearly just found his new toy and appeared completely unaware of Danny’s presence.

Steve hefted the black suede flogger with an experienced hand, feeling its weight and giving a few practice swings, before testing it against his own bare arm.  The look that passed over his face as those soft leather strips made contact with his skin went straight to Danny’s cock.  Swallowing convulsively, he backed out of sight before Steve could notice him.  He pressed a hand to his burgeoning erection, trying to calm his libido.

Well, it appeared he’d been right about Steve not being the vanilla type.  Because that?  That looked like a man who knew exactly what he was doing… and enjoyed doing it!  How exactly Danny was going to function normally for the rest of the day with that image stuck in his head, he had no idea.

Once he had his body back under control, Danny straightened his spine, rolled his shoulders, and marched through the doors, whistling jauntily to be sure Steve heard him coming.

 

** February 12th **

 

The call for their next case came in just as Steve was arriving at headquarters, so he pulled out of the parking lot and drove straight to the crime scene.  By mid-afternoon, they had just finished interrogating a suspect and had a new lead to track.  While the rest of his team were occupied with the task at hand, Steve took the opportunity to slip into his office.

Standing by his chair, he glanced quickly through the window to make sure the others were still busy at the tech-table, and reached into the bag for his surprise of the day.  His eyes widened at the large, black butt plug visible through the vacuform plastic packaging.  The cardboard backing declared its ‘soft velvet feel’ and the ’10 function remote control for intense anal pleasure’.

“Steve!  Chin found something!”

Steve fumbled the package, dropping it to the floor, his face flushed.  A quick kick sent it skittering under his desk and away from prying eyes.

“Uh, Steve?”  Danny hitched a thumb back towards the desk as Steve ushered him back out to the bullpen.  “I think you dropped—”

“It’s nothing,” he protested, and strode up to the bank of computer screens.  “Chin, what’ve we got?”

 

** February 13th **

 

Wednesday was a whirlwind of car chases, firefights, and spectacular take-downs.  By the time they had the case wrapped, it was late evening and Steve told everyone to call it a day and worry about the paperwork later.  He, however, did not go home.  The day had been so hectic that he hadn’t once been anywhere near his office, and the thought of what could be waiting for him on his chair had him too worked up to ignore.

The anticipation built as he drove to the Palace and he sprinted up the stairs in his eagerness to find his latest gift.  So, at first, the sight of nothing but a folded square of paper was a distinct let-down.  But as he opened it up and began to read, things rapidly began to improve.

Before him was a detailed list titled “Things I’d Like To Do To Steven J. McGarrett”.  A _very_ detailed list.  Involving all of the gifts he’d received over the past two weeks and the ways in which they could be used.  On him.   And… in him!

Hastily re-folding the note, Steve slipped it into his pocket and hurried out of the building, breaking numerous traffic laws in his haste to reach home and the privacy of his bedroom.

 

** February 14th **

 

When Steve walked into the bullpen on Valentine’s morning, he was surprised to see that all the blinds in his office were drawn.  With a grin, he hurried forward to see what new goody was waiting for him on his chair.  As he threw open the door, he stopped in his tracks at the sight of a grinning Danny sitting behind the desk.  He forced down the flutter in his stomach, reminding himself not to let pointless hope override reason.  Danny must be there about work.

“Uh… hey, Danny.  What’s up?”

At Steve’s hesitant tone, Danny found his nerves getting the better of him.  His original plan had been to leave the hotel room key and just wait for Steve there.  At the last minute, though, he’d thought sitting in Steve’s chair was a cute way of saying that he was the final gift.  But his partner wasn’t responding the way he’d expected… or hoped.  Suddenly unsure of Steve’s feelings again, he automatically defaulted to sarcasm.

“Up?  Light fixtures, the ceiling,” he squinted overhead, as if trying to see through the paint and plaster.  “I’m sure there’s probably insulation or something…”

Steve huffed and rolled his eyes, moving around the desk to stand by Danny, who swivelled the chair to face him.  “What are you, five?  I meant, what are you doing in my office?”

“Oh, I need permission to wait for you in here, now?  What’s next, a written invitation?  A signed affidavit, authorizing me to—”  He broke off as he noticed Steve’s gaze roaming over the desk searchingly.  “Whatcha lookin’ for there, Steven?  You lose something?”

“No… no, I just… no, nothing.”  Steve dragged his gaze back to Danny’s face.  “What were you saying?”

“It’s not important.”

Danny watched as Steve’s eyes dropped to his lap, or more precisely, the spot on the chair where the gifts usually sat, which was now occupied by Danny.  Steve stared for a moment before looking back up, eyes widening slightly.

_“And finally, he gets it!”_ Danny thought, relieved.

“Danny, are you…?”

He leaned forward, smiling widely.  “Am I what?”

“Are you, uh… are you sitting on something?”

Disappointment spiked through Danny’s chest and he snapped, “No, I’m floating in mid-air!  What do you think?  I’m sitting on your chair, genius!”

Distracted, Steve didn’t even react to his snarky tone.  “Right, I know.  I meant, was there anything on the chair before you sat down?”  He surveyed the floor around Danny, craning his neck to peer under the desk.

Danny stood with a sigh. “No, Steven, there was nothing on your chair this morning except me.”  He pushed past Steve and left the room, trying to ignore the hollow feeling in his gut when his partner didn’t even seem to notice him leave.

 

***

 

“I couldn’t do it, Rachel.”  Danny sat at his desk, head in hand, as he spoke to his ex over the phone.  “I sat right there in his chair and he looked through me like I didn’t exist.  He kept looking around, trying to find his _gift_.  He had no clue… and clearly no interest.”

“Honestly, Danny, you can’t really believe that.  Did you say anything at all to indicate to him that you weren’t there for perfectly ordinary, work-related reasons?”

“No, but—”

“Then you can hardly blame him, can you?  He’s bound to be just as nervous about this as you are.  He probably didn’t want to embarrass either of you by jumping the gun, in case you were there to talk about actual police matters.”

“I don’t think so, Rache.”  Steve had re-opened all his blinds and Danny could see him behind his desk, apparently still searching for a package that wasn’t there.  “He obviously thinks the gifts were from someone else.  I should just go clear everything out of the hotel room and junk it.”

“Daniel, do not go anywhere,” Rachel commanded.  “I’ll be right there.”

 

***

 

Steve searched his office, confused by the lack of gift.  Had Danny’s presence prevented his admirer from leaving it?  Or was it simply that she had something different planned for Valentine’s Day?  It was possible that, whoever she was, she intended to show up later and take him out on a date.  That would be pretty presumptuous of her, though.  Just because he was intrigued by the mystery and had even become eager to discover the gifts, that didn’t mean he would be at the beck and call of whoever was leaving them!

Fighting the wave of irritation he felt at that thought, Steve slumped into his chair.  He’d thought he had finally accepted the idea that he was being wooed by a woman, but seeing Danny sitting there when he’d opened the door had really thrown him for a loop.  As much as his mind tried to deny it, his heart still wanted Danny.

When his secret valentine finally revealed herself, he was going to have to let her down easy.  It just wasn’t fair to lead her on.  With a sigh, he slid the previous day’s letter out of his pocket and opened the drawer to deposit it with the rest of the items.

“What the hell?”  He stared uncomprehendingly into the empty drawer.  Where had all his presents gone?  He pushed the drawer in, stared at it, then yanked it out again.  Still empty.

This didn’t make sense.  Unless… maybe that’s why there was no gift this morning; maybe she’d changed her mind.

_“Or maybe,”_ he thought, _“this was all someone’s idea of a joke, all along!”_

Angered by the possibility, Steve decided he was done being patient.  He turned to his computer and pulled up the recordings from the security cameras.  Starting from the moment he’d left the previous night, he began scanning the footage for any signs of an intruder.  There were no cameras inside the individual offices but there was one covering each door, so no one could get in or out of Five-0 without being seen.

As the timestamp in the corner crept closer and closer to his own arrival that morning, he could feel his tension rising.  Finally, he saw movement.  A woman entered, carrying a large tote bag, and went directly into his office.  Her head was turned away from the camera and slightly bowed, causing her face to be obscured by the fall of her long hair.  Despite not being able to see her features, there was something about her that still seemed familiar.  Curbing his frustration, Steve watched for her to make her exit, hoping for a better shot.

As he waited, his attention was drawn by the distinctive clicking of high heels, and he looked up to see Rachel walking through the doors.  He watched as Danny hurried across the bullpen to meet her and pulled her aside, talking in hushed but agitated tones.

Frowning, Steve turned back to his monitor just in time to see the woman leaving his office.  He hit the freeze frame as her face came into view, and stared in disbelief.  He looked up at the couple quietly arguing outside his office, and back at the screen, still not trusting his eyes.

Rachel?  Rachel was his secret valentine?  That didn’t make any sense… did it?  He remembered last Friday and the way she’d acted, inviting him to lunch, taking him by the arm, and she’d been very attentive throughout the meal.  What he’d taken at the time to be innocent banter, now took on a whole new aspect.

Looking up again, he noticed her and Danny repeatedly glancing in his direction as they whispered furiously.  He suddenly realised they must be fighting about him.  Danny must have found out about what she’d been doing and was understandably unhappy about it. His stomach dropped sickeningly at the thought that Danny might blame him, and then plummeted further when Danny threw up his hands and stormed out of the office.

He leapt to his feet, ready to go after him, but stopped as Rachel walked into his office.

“Hello, Steve.  I have—”

 “Rachel, I’m sorry,” he broke in, “but this is never going to happen.  I know that it’s you who’s been leaving me the gifts.  I saw you on this morning’s surveillance footage.”

“Surveillance?” her eyebrows shot up.

“And I’m flattered, really, but you’re married and my best friend’s ex—”

“Oh, you can’t be serious!  Do you honestly think I’m the one in love with you?”

“I—”  Steve didn’t know how to answer that.

Rachel shook her head in exasperation.  “You really are oblivious.  Did you watch the whole recording or did you just stop as soon as you saw me?”

Steve glanced over at his computer screen, Rachel’s image still frozen across it.  “Well….”

“Just as I thought.  You know, a gift w _as_ waiting on your chair this morning.  Quite a wonderful one; you can take my word on that.”  She held out a small, white envelope and waited until he took it.  “Just take the damn key and go to the bloody hotel room in half an hour, alright?”

Steve stared after her retreating form in bewilderment, just catching her muttered, “Men can be so utterly thick!” before she vanished through the doors.

Dropping back into his seat, he stared at his monitor for a moment.  He reached out and tapped the mouse, resuming playback.  After a few minutes, he saw Danny arrive and walk up to Steve’s office, then hesitate in the doorway.  He pulled something out of his pocket and stared at it.

Steve looked at the envelope in his own hand and back at the screen, where Danny was now tapping that same envelope against his opposite palm as he paced nervously outside Steve’s door.  All of a sudden, he stopped and smiled.  Returning the envelope to his pocket, he slipped into Steve’s office, shut the door, and began closing all the blinds.

The next sign of movement was Steve’s own arrival, so he stopped the video and closed the file.  Sitting back, he opened the envelope and tipped out the hotel key-card in its little cardboard holder.  Rachel had said to go to the hotel in a half hour but he hadn’t been paying attention to the time.  He had no idea how many minutes it had actually been but he’d been waiting for Danny for too long already and he’d be damned if he was going to wait any longer!

 

***

 

Danny paced around the hotel room, checking the clock obsessively.  He’d spent what felt like ages setting everything up here and making sure every detail was perfect.  Shouldn’t Steve be here by now?  Rachel had convinced him to come here and wait; assured him that Steve would show.  But what if she’d been wrong?

He heard the beep and click of the lock and his heart leapt into his throat.  He spun to face the door as Steve entered and stopped a few steps into the room.  Their eyes met and Danny’s stomach knotted when he couldn’t read Steve’s expression.

“Steve?”

“It really was you this whole time.”  Steve sounded amazed and Danny didn’t know if that was a good or a bad thing.

“Yeah, babe, it was me.  But, listen.  If you’re not—”

As Danny spoke, Steve closed the distance between them in three quick strides, cupped his jaw in one big hand, and silenced him with a kiss.  It was sweet and gentle, almost tentative, and it took Danny’s breath away.

Steve drew back just enough to look Danny in the eye.  “I am.  Believe me, I am.  I’m sorry I was so slow on the uptake this morning.”

“You really didn’t know it was me, this whole time?”

“How was I supposed know, Danny?  You acted oblivious, except when you were mocking me.  On Saturday, you pretended you’d found that package at my door and teased me about it being porn!”

Danny shook his head ruefully.  “Steve, I’m sorry.  That wasn’t meant to mock you.  I was just trying to play the game, keep up the pretense of mystery.  I explained the whole ‘secret’ thing when we were talking about the roses.  I thought you understood.”

“I thought I did, too, at first.”  Steve’s hands began to wave about in a very Danny-like manner.  “But then, the tissue paper and fancy ribbons… and that book!  That stupid hetero-oriented sex book!  I thought it had to be a woman.  But I still wished it was you.  God, you have no idea how much I wanted it to be you!”

Danny beamed, elated in the face of Steve’s feelings for him.  “Just so you know, Rachel taught me how to do the tissue and bows.  And that book?  Just because the pictures show a man and a woman doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of stuff in there that you and I can do together.  I believe I mentioned some of it in yesterday’s letter.”

Steve’s eyes darkened with desire as he recalled the contents of that list in vivid detail.  He captured Danny’s mouth in a passionate kiss and moaned as he opened to him without hesitation.  One hand curled around the back of his neck, fingers sliding into sleek blond hair.  The other arm caught Danny around the waist, pressing their bodies tightly together.

As the kiss steadily grew deeper, he backed his partner up against the wall and began unbuttoning his shirt.  Bending his knees, he trailed his lips down Danny’s throat and ground their hips together.

“Steve, wait,” Danny gasped.  “Steve.  Hey, babe, wait.”

Steve raised his head, lust warring with confusion on his face.  “What, Danny?  What is it?”

“You’re kind of ruining the plan here.”

“Plan?  What are you—?”

“Look around, babe.  I got this whole set-up going on here.”

Steve turned and took a good look at the room, for the first time.

On the table was the vase of roses from his dining room.  In front of it stood two glasses of champagne and a dish of chocolate-covered strawberries.  The king-sized bed was strewn with rose petals, the covers already turned down.  Sitting on one nightstand was a CD player, the Valentine’s Mix case lying beside it; on the other, a basket holding the rest of his gifts, all removed from any packaging and ready for use.

Steve gaped at Danny.  “How— when did you do all this?  Some of these things were at home when I left this morning!”

Danny shrugged sheepishly.  “Since when have I not just walked into your house whenever I felt like it?  I stopped by on the way here.  And the stuff from your desk… that, I had Rachel’s help with.  She dropped if off here for me while I was waiting for you in your office.

“Actually, she helped a lot more than that.  She’s the one who left the gifts for you on the days I couldn’t, like that first Sunday when I had Grace.  And she’s the one who convinced me to take a chance on my feelings.  Leaving you a surprise every day was her idea, too.  The gifts themselves, though?  That was all me.  So, if there was anything that didn’t appeal to you, just say so.”

“Are you kidding, Danny?  I don’t know how you did it, but you zeroed in on practically all of my kinks.”  Steve pulled Danny in close, again.  “And anything I wasn’t already into, I’m more than willing to try with you.”

“That’s good, or my whole scenario would’ve ground to a halt pretty quickly.”

“So, what is this plan you’ve devised for us?”

Danny grinned wickedly.  “Let’s start with getting you naked and on the bed.”  He laughed as Steve stripped with more speed than grace and leapt onto the bed, scattering rose petals.  He took a little more time with his own clothing, slipping slowly out of his shirt and pants while admiring Steve in all his naked glory.  “Look at you.  So fucking gorgeous.”

“So are you, Danny.”  Steve reached out as Danny climbed onto the bed beside him, but Danny slapped his hand away, playfully.

“Ah-ah!  Not yet.  I have something else in mind.”  He reached into the basket and hooked the handcuffs, dangling them from one finger.  He eyed the solid wooden headboard with regret.  “Looks like we’ll have to improvise a little, here.”

Steve held out his wrists without a word and Danny closed the cuffs around them.  Then he slowly raised Steve’s arms and pressed them to the pillow above his head.  “Hold these right there until I say you can move.”  He saw the flicker of excitement flash through Steve’s eyes and leaned in for a quick, hard kiss.

Next he held up the blindfold, waiting for Steve’s brief nod before placing it over his eyes.  “Now, remember,” he said, slipping off the bed again, “don’t move.”

Steve lay quietly, listening to Danny’s movements.  The faint click of the CD player was followed by soft music.  He heard what sounded like something being picked up from the table and then Danny was back, carefully straddling Steve’s thighs.

“Open your mouth.”

Steve complied and felt the cool touch of glass to his lips as Danny tipped champagne into his mouth.  He swallowed, savouring the crisp taste.

“Again.”  This time, Danny fed him a chocolate-covered strawberry.  As he finished the morsel and opened again, he felt Danny’s lips brush against his own, licking away the juice and chasing the flavour into his mouth.

After a moment, Danny broke the kiss and Steve caught his breath as a cool trickle ran down his chest and stomach.  Danny moved down his body, lapping the champagne from his skin, taking exquisite care not to miss a drop.  He paid extra attention to Steve’s abs, tracing the lines of muscle before delving into his bellybutton with the tip of his tongue and sucking up the last of the golden liquid.

Shifting focus even lower, Danny nibbled his way down Steve’s hipbone and then stopped, his parted lips hovering a fraction of an inch over Steve’s cock without ever quite touching.  His hot breath danced over the sensitive flesh and he grinned at the responding shiver.

“Danny…,” Steve groaned.  He tried thrusting his hips upwards to gain more contact but Danny’s weight on his legs kept him pinned to the mattress.

“Patience, Steven.”  Painstakingly slowly, Danny dragged his tongue all the way up from the base of Steve’s shaft, probing gently at the slit before circling teasingly around the head.  “Remember, I have a plan.”

He swallowed Steve’s cock down in one swift move and then pulled off, sucking from root to tip.  “And this is just the warm up.”  He began a slow rhythm, increasing the suction with each upstroke, until Steve was panting beneath him.

Sliding off with a wet pop, he swirled his tongue around the tip one last time and sat up.

“Okay, now give me your hands.”

Steve lowered his arms, and Danny climbed off his thighs and reached into the basket for the key.  Unlocking one wrist, he held onto the cuff.

“Up on your knees and turn around.”

As Steve obeyed, Danny moved behind him and re-shackled his wrists behind his back.  Tugging slightly on the chain, he ran his free hand up Steve’s spine and pressed firmly between his shoulder blades, bending him over until his face met the pillow.

“That’s it, babe.  Just like that.”

Steve felt the mattress shift under Danny’s weight as he leaned across to the basket again.  He heard the snap of a plastic cap flipping open and held his breath in anticipation.  He let the air out with a small moan at the touch of Danny’s finger, slick with lube, sliding along his cleft.  Danny teased around his hole, pressing his fingertip in ever so slightly and then circling again before slipping in to the first knuckle.  Steve started slightly as a drop of lube hit his hot flesh, rolling down to seep around Danny’s finger.  Danny twisted it deeper into Steve, slicking his insides with the lube, and pulled out slowly.

“Danny?” Steve questioned, when his partner remained motionless.

“I was just thinking what a waste it would be to use this cherry lube without actually tasting it.”

Steve gasped as Danny licked a stripe up between his cheeks, tongue flickering across his hole and probing inside.

“God!”  He rocked back eagerly onto Danny’s thrusts.  A minute later, he cried out inarticulately as Danny suddenly replaced his tongue with fingers, plunging deeply and finding Steve’s prostate repeatedly.

“Fuck!  Danny, please… now!  I need you to fuck me, now!”

“Jesus, Steve—”

“Please, Danny, I want your cock inside me!” Steve begged, and all Danny’s carefully laid plans flew out the window in the face of Steve’s naked need.

Fumbling the condom on as quickly as he could, spilling lube everywhere in his haste, Danny lined up his cock and buried himself in Steve’s tight heat.

One hand gripping Steve’s hip and the other seizing the chain between his wrists, he pounded into him urgently, Steve’s cries of “Yes!” and “Oh, God!” spurring him on.  Suddenly, Steve’s muscles clenched around him as he came with a desperate yell.  The realization that he’d brought his partner to orgasm without even touching his cock was all it took to drive Danny over the edge.  His vision whited out as his climax slammed into him with an intensity he’d never felt before.

He came back to himself a few moments later, slumped over Steve’s back.  Straightening up shakily, he pulled out, tossing the condom into the trash beside the bed.  Scrabbling around to find the key, he unlocked the cuffs and eased Steve over onto his side.  He slipped the blindfold off, curling up against his back, and kissed his neck tenderly.

“You okay, babe?”

“More than okay.  That was… incredible!”  Steve rolled over to face him with a big, goofy grin, and slung a languid arm around his waist.

“Yeah, it was,” Danny agreed, smiling back.  He snaked an arm around Steve’s back and pulled him closer, tangling their legs together.  “Even if you did derail my plans before I was finished,” he teased.

“Me?”  Steve widened his eyes in mock innocence.  “What did I do?  I was all tied up, there, Danno.”

“You, begging like that!  How was I supposed to deny you when you obviously wanted it so badly?”

Laughing, Steve gave Danny a gentle kiss.  “Well, let me make it up to you.  How about we go fill the tub, add some of that bubble bath you gave me, and finish off the champagne and strawberries.  Afterwards, we can call room service for a nice, romantic dinner.  And then, for dessert, maybe you can show me what I missed.”

“Sounds like a plan!”

 

 

*

**Author's Note:**

> This was written over a long period of time, in bits and pieces that I then had to blend together to form a cohesive whole. Hopefully it wasn’t too schizophrenic.


End file.
